In offshore seismic operations it has become increasingly desirable to tow gun subarrays farther and farther outboard of the vessel, in order to tow a greater number of subarrays and to spread the subarrays wider apart. This creates a better seismic source due not only to reduced interference between the subarrays but also due to a better defined three-dimensional picture of oil bearing strata. Not only is it desirable to use more subarrays which are spread farther outboard of the vessel, but it also is useful to have longer subarrays to accommodate more seismic guns. The result is very long floats, for example, 60 feet or longer, which are quite difficult to maneuver and control. Accordingly, a significant problem in the art is how to actively position and steer a large number of such floats remotely from a tow vessel, in an orderly, precisely and widely spaced pattern.